Could someone please explain to me what exactly the Archdiocese is supposed to be? The Coptic churches in Northern California are commonly listed as being part of the Archdiocese. And yet, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III was the one who came to consecrate the altar at the church in Pleasanton, and as a consequence I asked a priest in the area who they were responsible, and he said that they reported directly to His Holiness. So then why are they listed as part of the Archdiocese and not just as something along the lines of a "stavropegial institution"?